Perceived vulnerabilities of female athletes to the development of disordered eating behaviours

Abstract

Disordered eating in athletes is an issue of concern given its prevalence and links with negative health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine female athletes’ perceived vulnerabilities to the development of disordered eating. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 female, competitive athletes from a variety of sports who self-reported disordered eating behaviours. The results confirm previous research that sport's emphasis on the body and appearance is a factor of vulnerability. Personal qualities of perfectionism, achievement-motivation, self-absorption, competitiveness and self-control, were also described as vulnerabilities to disordered eating behaviours. The participants’ abilities to tolerate pain and to enjoy hunger pains also reportedly increased their vulnerability to disordered eating. It is suggested that the qualities valued by competitive sport may also be potential factors of vulnerability to disordered eating. The findings are discussed in terms of recommendations for future research and practice.     

Education in the Chinese national sport system: experiences of professional wushu athletes

Abstract

Within the Chinese national sport system, the government provides resources and funding to train athletes from a young age to become high-performance competitors. Though athletes are well supported to excel in their sport, during their years of intense physical training, athletes generally receive little to no formal education to prepare them for life outside of sport. The sacrifice of forgoing formal education to compete in elite level sport is not uncommon for athletes within centralized sporting systems and has been widely documented; however, there is little research that focuses on the impact of the team’s educational systems from the perspective of the athletes. To add to the growing body of research in this area, the authors utilized in-depth interviews to examine professional wushu athletes’ education experiences whilst training on their team. Thematic analysis of the findings revealed that athletes who committed themselves to sport training in the Chinese national system had to negotiate a number of factors related to time, motivation, social influences, and resources when it came to education and academia. Findings highlight the ways in which these athletes experience and come to terms with limited academic opportunities, preparation and support from their team and the training environment.     

Breast pain affects the performance of elite female athletes

ABSTRACT

Although breast pain is problematic for many active women, no published research has investigated breast pain experienced by elite female athletes. This study aimed to examine the extent that mastalgia and exercise-induced breast pain affected the sporting performance of elite female athletes during training and competition. A custom-designed online survey with questions related to sport participation, as well as the frequency, severity and perceived performance effects of mastalgia and exercise-induced breast pain, was distributed to sporting organisations, coaches, medical staff and teams/clubs throughout Australia. Five hundred and forty female athletes competing nationally or internationally across 49 different sports participated in the survey. Sixty-three percent of respondents reported experiencing breast pain associated with their menstrual cycle and 33% reported that this pain worsened during activity. Forty-four percent of athletes reported experiencing exercise-induced breast pain during training or competition. Both types of breast pain were also reported to negatively affect sporting performance (20% and 32%, respectively). Mastalgia associated with the menstrual cycle and exercise-induced breast pain should be acknowledged as potential problems affecting the sporting performance of elite female athletes. Awareness around the impact of breast pain and the development and implementation of breast pain management strategies are essential for this population.     

Exploring the experiences of female sport fans: A collaborative self-ethnography

Hegemonic masculinity would suggest that sport fandom is the exclusive domain of men and women are subordinate. Yet, it is apparent that women make up a significant portion of the professional sport spectator market. As such, it is important to systematically examine the role of hegemonic masculinity in the female sport fan experience. The purpose of this paper was to document, explore, and reflect upon personal experiences of female sport fans using a collaborative self-ethnography approach. Over a period of 3 months, we documented our experiences attending professional sport events (e.g., Major League Baseball, Canadian Football League) in the United States and Canada. Analysis of the data occurred through a process of sharing and critical reflection of our narratives. We identified three common themes that defined our experiences as female sport fans: (a) negotiating our definition of being a sport fan, (b) female sport fan as “the outsider”, and (c) marginalisation of other women. Our work provides some insight into the lived experiences of female sport fans. Discussion of the findings is intended to shed light on the conversation regarding hegemonic masculinity within the sport fan literature.     

从国外运动员的投掷特征看我国优秀女子链球选手的投掷技术

对我国5名优秀女子链球运动员使用近景动态三维录像分析系统分析运动员的投掷技术,结果表明,第四圈双支撑阶段加速能力较强,但在第四圈单支撑阶段速度损失过大;链球旋转速度增量与各圈轨迹中双支撑与单支撑的比值有关,增大链球各圈轨迹中双支撑与单支撑的比值有助于链球旋转速度增量的提高;加大投掷动作的动作幅度,增大各圈旋转中运动员的各运动环节的最大值与最小值的差值对链球旋转速度增量的提高具有十分重要意义。     

天津市部分大学生运动员和专业队运动员应对策略的比较研究

采用《中国运动员应对量表》,对天津市的68名大学生运动员和64名专业队运动员进行调查研究。结果表明,大学生运动员和专业队运动员在应对策略上分别以集中解决问题和集中处理情绪的直接应对为主,且在处理情绪维度上大学生运动员和专业队运动员存在显著性差异。大学生运动员的应对策略在集中处理情绪维度上存在性别差异,在遇到应激时,男大学生比女大学生运动员更加注重对情绪的处理。     

我国优秀女子帆板运动员体能测试分析

对国家队4名优秀女子帆板运动员进行了最大功率和60s力量耐力的测试,通过测试看出,不同的运动员在不同的重量下出现最大功率,完成25kg重量的60s力量耐力训练其功率也是不同的,训练效果差别很大。本研究结果可为国家帆板队实现个体化力量训练提供参考。     

Bearing the burden of doubt: female coaches' experiences of gender relations

Based on interview research, this study examined how master female coaches based in the United Kingdom experienced relations with men within their profession. Using a feminist cultural studies approach to examine how sport promotes and maintains a gender order unfavorable to women, we found that female coaches felt the need to continually prove themselves and often experienced coaching as a hostile and intimidating culture. Participants reported a gradual reduction in such unwelcoming behavior from men, seemingly because they had proved to be no threat to the existing patriarchal structure. A critical exploration of coaching is needed to understand how masculine hegemony leads to women's relative powerlessness as coaches. Furthermore, the findings present a case for a greater emphasis on sociocultural education within the UK coaching curricula.     

我国优秀女子跆拳道运动员赛前心理状态及其关系研究

以34名我国优秀女子跆拳道运动员为测试对象,使用心理测试和现场观察等方法对女子跆拳道运动员运动动机、意志品质、赛前情绪和心境等赛前心理状态进行检验和分析。总结出了优秀跆拳道运动员的赛前心理状态特征以及不同运动等级运动员心理状态的差异,为跆拳道运动员的心理选材和心理训练提供依据。     

Perceptions of the sport psychologist by female university athletes.

In this study we explored the existence of a favourable attitude towards sport psychologists by female athletes in relation to other sport-oriented and mental health professionals. Ninety female student athletes made judgements of similarity between 11 practitioner terms using the triad method. A rank-order task was also completed, where the 11 professionals were ranked on three expertise variables in sporting, mental and physical issues. The results were analysed using (1) the metric scaling procedure of correspondence analysis, (2) cultural consensus analysis and (3) PROperty FITting analysis. A two-dimensional solution provided the best interpretation of the similarity judgements. The correspondence analysis configuration positioned the sport psychologist centrally between a sport-oriented pair and the cluster of mental health professionals. Participants reported adequate consensus on all three expertise variables, which is consistent with the assumptions of Cultural Consensus Theory. Consistent with earlier research, the three variables were salient in the participants' similarity judgements of sport and mental health professionals. Our results suggest the existence of a more favourable perception of the sport psychologist and a distancing from a direct association with mental health practitioners. However, the centrality of the term may indicate a more cloudy distinction as to where the sport psychologist exists in relation to other professionals.     

Food attitudes in female athletes: association with menstrual cycle length

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between indicators of risk of disordered eating, body image and varied menstrual cycle lengths. Altogether, 151 female athletes were invited from 16 sports and 70 female non-athletic controls were recruited from a university lecture class. The participants completed several surveys, including demographics, menstrual cycle history, physical activity, Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ). Selected EDI subscales were summed to reflect eating disorder risk and body image. Menstrual cyclicity was based on self-reported cycle length for the last 6 months (normal cycles = 26-32 days, irregular cycles < or =26 or >32 days). Athletes overall had more irregular cycles (29.1%) than the non-athletes (15.7%) (P < 0.05). There were significant differences in scores for eating disorder risk, body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, cognitive restraint (TFEQ) and disinhibition (TFEQ), only when athletes were divided based on menstrual cyclicity (i.e. irregularly cycling athletes had higher scores than athletes with normal menstrual cycle lengths). No differences in these scores were found between non-athletes with normal or irregular menstrual cycle lengths. In conclusion, irregularly short or long menstrual cycle length is associated with subtle indications of higher risk of disordered eating in female athletes.     

女子皮艇运动员静态平衡能力与核心力量浅析

以辽宁省女子皮艇队运动员和营口市水上运动学校女子青少年运动员各15名为研究对象,采用Best Poise V1.0平衡能力测试系统和八级腹桥测试评分,分别测试运动员的静态平衡能力和核心力量,考察不同水平运动员平衡能力和核心力量的差别,为女子皮艇运动员的核心力量训练提供参考。     

班干部轮换制在大学生运动员自我管理教育中的作用

培养和造就大学生运动员成为德、智、体全面发展的合格人才，是高等院校的一项中心任务。现行高水平运动队管理大多是班干部“终身制”，该模式具有较多弊端，极不利于新时期高校运动人才培养，故而提倡用班干部“轮换制”替代“终身制”，以促进大学生运动员自我管理、自我教育能力的提高。     

Influence of sport type and interdependence on the developmental experiences of youth male athletes

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between sport type, interdependence (task and outcome), and the developmental experiences of select male basketball players (n=129) and middle-distance runners (n=83) aged 14–17 years. Athletes completed the Youth Experiences Survey 2.0 (Hansen & Larson, 2005) and a modified measure assessing task and outcome interdependence (Van der Vegt, Emans, & Van de Vliert, 1998 Vliert, 2001). Hierarchical multiple regression determined that basketball players reported higher rates of teamwork and social skills, adult networks and social capital, and negative experiences. Furthermore, outcome interdependence was a predictor of identity exploration, initiative, emotional regulation, positive relationships, teamwork and social skills, and adult networks and social capital experiences independent of sport type. Although different sports may provide different learning environments, the developmental experiences youth garner may be more strongly influenced by how the people involved interact (outcome interdependence) than by the type of sport.     

辽宁女子投掷项目运动员月经状况调查分析

运用文献资料法、问卷调查法、数理统计法,对辽宁省女子投掷项目运动员的月经状况进行调查分析,旨在为投掷项目运动员及时调节比赛时的最佳竞技状态提供参考.     

高起点，才能高水平——对少年110米栏运动员选材与训练的体会

１１０米栏是田径运动中技术要求较高的项目，早期选材的高起点，基础训练的高标准，多年训练的系统性，是培养高水平１１０米栏运动员的基础，本文对此作一些初步探讨。     

普通高校女生速滑课弯道教法体会

速度滑冰是北方高校传统的体育项目，通过速滑课可以增强大学生体质，培养克服困难、勇于进取、顽强拼搏的意志品质。而弯道技术是速滑教学中难度较大的技术环节，怎样在有限的几次课中解决好这一技术难题，体育教师需要认真研究和深入探讨。采用什么样的弯道教学手段与方法，提高速滑课的教学质量，改善女生对弯道技术课的畏惧心理，以使她们在速滑技术、弯道技术、身心等各方面都得到全面发展与提高。     

Striving to be in the profession and of It: the African American experience in physical education and kinesiology

This study analyzes the experiences of African Americans in the physical education and kinesiology profession since the late 1850s. Using a variety of primary and secondary source material, we place special emphasis on the experiences of African American physical educators in higher education and in the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance and its southern, regional, and state chapters. Apparent from this examination is that African Americans have experienced various forms of racially discriminatory practices in physical education and kinesiology and have found it extraordinarily difficult to assume leader ship positions in the profession and be acknowledged for their scholarly and academic accomplishments.